


Love Someone Else, For I Love You

by KennaxVal



Category: The Crown & the Flame (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-09 22:57:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20125234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KennaxVal/pseuds/KennaxVal





	Love Someone Else, For I Love You

Sunlight cascaded Rose’s modest bedroom, waking her up with a gentle heat. It was the first hopeful morning in a long time. Stormholt was now under the leadership of Queen Kenna, and the people were optimistic. Despite the Queen’s youth and inexperience, she was known to place the needs of others ahead of her own. Such empathy was refreshing after the years of misery under Prince Marco Nevrakis. The celebration would have been all the better if only Rose’s mother were still alive to see the fruits of her sacrifice.

At the moment, it was not the past that concerned Rose, but the future, as the threat of conflict loomed on the horizon. King Luther Nevrakis was determined to rule the Five Kingdoms with an iron fist, and Queen Kenna was preparing for battle. Among those called to fight was Dominic Hunter, the man Rose loved, but she was hopeful that they might marry before his departure.

On a clear night, with the stars out in full view, Dom took Rose out to the forest amidst the tranquility of nature. The night was cool, but not cold, with a gentle breeze on Rose’s face that made her feel even more alive. They were surrounded by natural beauty, undisturbed by man; the perfect place to breathe in the clean air and indulge in each other’s company. Dom laid out a blanket, and they enjoyed a picnic before gazing out at the stars.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they, Dom?”

“Just imitators, Rose. They could never match the sparkle I see in your eyes.”

Rose’s cheeks flushed a color worthy of her name. It was easy to get caught up in the charms of her beloved. With a warm expression, Dom took her hand and kissed it tenderly. He then asked her to stand up as he positioned himself on his knee.

“I wouldn’t have survived these past two years without you Rose. You are a source of strength, hope, and happiness for me. Being with you makes me realize the kind of man I want to be, the kind of man who deserves to be with you. Rose Blake, will you be my wife?”

The ring he presented was humble, complete with a tiny jewel. Still, it must have been difficult for a man of Dom’s means to acquire this symbol of love. Tears formed in her eyes and she embraced her dearest Dom.

“Yes, Dom, of course, I’ll be your wife. Thank you, Dom. You’ve made me very happy.”

They sealed the evening with a kiss, which carried a promise of love for all time. Upon returning home, Rose rushed to Trystan and hugged him.

“Trystan! Dom asked for my hand, and we are to be married.”

Trying to conceal his frown, Trystan congratulated her.

“That’s wonderful to hear, Rose. I’m sure you two will be happy together.”

Rose saw right through Trystan’s words. She knew that there was lingering tension between them. Dom may have forgiven her brother’s betrayal, but the pain doesn’t subside as quickly as one hopes. Taking hold of Trystan’s shoulders, Rose looked at her brother, reassuring him that Dom cared for them both and everything would be fine.

Despite Trystan’s agreement, Rose felt like he was hiding his true feelings. It only made sense, but she knew that Dom and Trystan would be back to normal in time. As she went to bed, she knew sleep would prove difficult. The world was a much more exciting place, and she couldn’t wait for what life had in store…

Without warning, Rose sat up, coughing. After a while, the coughing stopped, and she thought that was the end of it, so she didn’t pay it any mind. As the days went by, however, her illness was worse. The last thing she wanted was to worry Dom, so she tried her hardest to suppress her coughs when they were together. Once it was too difficult to hide her situation, she became distant from him, hoping that she would soon recover.

Unfortunately, her condition only worsened, to the point that she had to face a terrible truth; she would soon be dead. She wept at the cruelty bestowed upon her by the gods. What could she have possibly done to deserve this? After a long time, she dried her eyes and made peace with her fate. In the end, her life didn’t matter; instead, she needed to focus on Dom and how to make the situation as easy on him as possible.

Dom was still young, with his whole life ahead of him. Rose didn’t want to take that away from him, but she knew that he loved her and feared that he would refuse to marry, even after her death. Not wanting a lonely life for her beloved, Rose concluded that she would make Dom hate her. That way, he could move on with his life. It was critical that he didn’t know about her condition, so she would soon need to depart from Stormholt, to die without his knowledge.

As Rose walked into the local tavern, the stink of cheap ale, smoke, and sweat overwhelmed her. The place was filled with mercenaries engaging in drinking and arm wrestling, with one woman in leather armor winning every match. After some searching, Rose found a man who looked ideal for her task.

She needed to convince Dom that she was leaving him for another and this man looked the most believable. Beyond his obvious need for a bath and a shave, Rose saw someone quite handsome. Piercing blue eyes, flowing brown hair and a muscular build made him the most appealing to Rose for what she was dreading. Cautiously, she approached him.

“You there, how would you like to make some money?”

The man looked at her up and down, before finally speaking.

“Well, aren’t you just the prettiest little thing to ever walk in here?”

Ignoring her every urge to leave immediately, Rose summoned her determination.

“Never mind that, are you interested in the job or not?”

“I’m a mercenary, aren’t I? What do you need?”

“Here, take this copper and get yourself cleaned up. Afterwards, meet me at the castle entrance, and you’ll be paid double the purse’s contents.”

Rose knew that Dom would soon make his way to the castle and she waited with the man until her beloved showed up, to a most surprising revelation. Dom’s face registered his shock.

“Rose, what’s going on? And who’s he?”

She braced herself and took a deep breath; she reminded herself why she had to do this.

“Dom, we both know this isn’t working out. This is Francis, and I thought you should know that we’re together now.”

Dom’s puzzled face gave way to laughing, “Rose, this must be a joke. I admit you had me there for a second. But now, we need to talk about why you’ve been so distant.”

Summoning all her strength, Rose maintained a chilly façade. She then took off her ring and tossed it at Dom.

“The only joke is the one you played on me. I thought you loved me, but Trystan was right. You just used me for your pleasure. Francis here has been a source of comfort and he’s twice the man you’ll ever be.”

Dom’s face turned bright red. “Trystan’s lying to you! You can’t be serious about leaving me for him! After everything we’ve been through, how could you betray me like this?“ Dom paused, trying to calm himself down. "Rose, please, I love you.”

‘I love you too, Dom,’ she thought to herself wishing she could give voice to her true feelings.

“I believed that once. Now I know the truth, and I just wanted you to know that our engagement is over.”

As she turned away, Dom stopped her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“Please, Rose, don’t do this.”

Turning back, Rose slapped him as hard as she could, hating herself for doing so.

“We’re leaving Stormholt, Dom. And you better not look for me or even think of me ever again.”

Trying to suppress his shaking, Dom collected himself and said to her as calmly as he could, “don’t worry Rose, I won’t. I was obviously a fool to ever pursue you.”

‘Thank the gods,’ Rose thought to herself before walking away, without saying a word. Once she and Francis were out of Dom’s sight, she wept uncontrollably. After she stopped, Francis stretched out his hand, waiting for the payment.

“Here,” Rose said, “take your money and remember not to speak of this to anyone.”

For a moment, Rose felt hollow inside, and an icy chill pierced her soul. The agonizing silence was interrupted by the fire woman Sei. Rose’s heart sank, as she felt that Sei would tell Dom the truth.

“Listen, I don’t know what you heard-“

“I heard everything, and I also know that you don’t want word getting to anyone, especially Dom.”

Tension ran throughout Rose’s body. If Sei told Dom what happened, her plan would be ruined. As she composed herself, Sei interrupted, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell the lowlander anything. If anything, I felt your relationship was a distraction. Now he can concentrate on his training.”

Rose exhaled, not realizing she was holding her breath. “Thank you, Sei,” she said, “I just want to make sure that Dom won’t be lonely after I die. This is for the best.”

“To that end, we are in agreement. I’ll keep your secret and look after the lowlander.”

Rose embraced a reluctant Sei and made her way to Trystan. With their belongings packed, they were ready to leave the only home they had ever known. She couldn’t forgive herself for hurting Dom’s feelings, even though she felt it was the right choice. Although she would soon die, her love for Dom was strong as ever. It was a passion she promised she would take to the next world.

Only a few days into the journey, it was clear Rose could go no further. Trystan went off the road and laid her down overlooking the Fydorian coast. Guilt overwhelmed Trystan since he couldn’t do anything for his sister. Weeping and coughing dominated her last few days and the only thing he could do was bring her to a beautiful place to give her one last, peaceful moment. For the first time in weeks, Rose smiled, looking down at the crashing waves and with her last ounce of strength, she whispered, “Dom, I’ll always love you…”

As hard as it was to lose his sister, Trystan was relieved that her pain was gone. He found a secluded spot to bury Rose. The site was perfect, and in death, Rose was surrounded by the serenity so often denied her in life. Trystan offered a prayer and made his way to a new life, never to be seen again.

***

Back in Stormholt, Dom was still coping with his breakup, unaware of what happened to Rose. It was hard for Kenna to see him like this, and she tried her best to comfort him.

“I’m so sorry, Dom,” she said, placing her hand on his shoulder, “you didn’t deserve what Rose did to you.”

“Thanks, Kenna, it’s good to know that I have friends who support me.”

His smile was genuine but uneasy. The loss of his love counterbalanced with the reminder that he still wasn’t alone. He knew that he would have to forget about Rose. Everyone would soon head out to Thorngate, and he wouldn’t be much use pining for his former betrothed. At that moment, he resolved never to think about Rose again. He would find someone else, not realizing that the greatest love he ever experienced was already gone.


End file.
